The present invention relates in general to ordinance and in particular to a new and useful rocket powered kinetic energy projectile which is designed to be launched from a gun.
It is known to fire projectiles from a gun which, in and of themselves, are either explosive or meant solely for penetration. The projectile attains all of its velocity by expanding gases in the barrel.
Projectiles are also known which include a small rocket motor. The motors are ignited while the projectile is in the barrel of a gun-like structure. The rocket motors provide all of the thrust for accelerating the projectile to its maximum velocity. This type of projectile has had only limited success. It has been found not to have the accuracy or be capable of obtaining the speeds of conventional passive projectiles.